Month: November 2015

Bacteria and Travel

Here is a story to think about as we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday which is typically one of the busiest travel periods of the year. The following news story looks at this whole issue from analyzing the conditions, collecting the sample and looking at the analysis report. This story should be a wake-up call to

Some Thanksgiving Food Preparation Tips

I came across this article in Consumer Reports, “Don’t Let Your Thanksgiving Dinner Make You Sick” by Janet Lee, November 11, 2015 1. Watch Out For Mold (Many illnesses can be avoided from the start by looking for the presence of mold) 2. Know How To Battle the Bad Bugs (Prevent Bacterial Growth) 3. Use

Golf Courses Can Benefit From Soil Testing

I came across this topic in the article, “Talking N, P and K“by John Torsiello, November 12, 2015. The article looks at the value of soil testing on golf courses. Dr. Eric Milter is reference in the article and talks directly to this topic. Dr. Eric Miltner, agronomist for Koch Turf & Ornamental, says despite what

Soil Health Explained

Soil Health is becoming a topic that growers are talking about more and more. The following video looks at the concept of soil health shows its relationship to the soil. At Midwest Laboratories, soil health encompasses a report which combines the information gained from different soil health analysis and matches it up with some conventional

Soil Testing in the Laboratory

I want to give you a picture of what the soil extraction lab looks like. Soil analysis requires a lot of individual hand extraction and quality checks along the way to insure results are reported with respect to meeting required quality criteria. Each day, our lab supervisors evaluate their processes and identify ways to improve

Soil Bags Still Being Sent Out

At Midwest Laboratories, the orders for soil sample bags, boxes and probes continue. The soil probes have been back ordered a few times and we currently have some in stock. This fall, the conditions for soil sampling have been ideal. The ground temperatures are still warm for this time of year. If you need soil

Soil Testing Results

This fall a number of growers and companies have sent in samples for analysis. The goal of the analysis should be looking at the results and understanding what the analysis numbers mean. A good reference for this type of understanding is the Interpreting Soil Analysis Guide. If you would like a copy delivered to your

Gluten – Some More Information

Check out this video, 3 Gluten Myths | What the Stuff?! and learn some more facts about gluten. Lots of people cannot have gluten in their diets. Right now,about 1% of the population are gluten intolerant. Do you have to buy special food if you want to avoid gluten? Not necessarily. Fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, oils

Mycotoxins in Food and Feed

Each week I see more and more studies related to mycotoxins in foods. This article, “What Does it Mean When Your Coffee has Mycotoxins” suggests mycotoxins can be found in coffee. In addition, the FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) is bringing this issue up as a preventive control for food and feed manufacturers to look